"Kazien, here is the payment money!"
Emma held out the heavy leather bag with both hands. Behind her perfectly reconstructed professional smile, Kazien could see a trace of relief that today's transaction was finally over.
"Thank you very much!" replied Kazien politely.
With a casual movement, Kazien stored all the money into his dimensional storage space. In an instant, the large bag containing hundreds of gold and silver coins vanished, swallowed by empty air.
Elisa, who was standing beside them, looked back at the two boys with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Did you two come to this capital just to continue your adventure to the next place?" asked Elisa.
Kazien shook his head. "No, Aunt Elisa! Starting tomorrow, we will both be academy students."
Hearing that, Elisa nodded. Their age was indeed right for entering the academy.
"Where are you two staying?" Elisa asked again.
Kazien answered lightly, "Maybe, we will rent a vacant lot and just live inside the carriage."
Elisa's eyes widened. She stared at Kazien as if the boy had just said the stupidest thing in the world.
"What?!" exclaimed Elisa, not accepting it. "You two can stay at my house! Are you crazy wanting to live just inside a carriage? Think about the person next to you, you fool!"
Elisa pointed at Alvin who stood silently beside Kazien. "Didn't you say he is your fiancé, Kazien? You want to make your fiancé sleep in a cramped carriage?"
"Precisely because I'm thinking of him, that's why I want to rent a vacant lot!" defended Kazien. "It's not possible for us to disturb your family, right? That would be impolite."
"There is only your cousin at home!" cut Elisa quickly. "He will also enter the academy just like you! So, I ask you to live with him there and don't refuse!"
Kazien fell silent. "Then, where is your husband, Aunt Elisa?"
Elisa's face dimmed. The sharp glint in her eyes softened, replaced by shadows of sadness.
"He passed away nine years ago," answered Elisa softly. "If I am working, Allen is always alone. I want him to have friends to talk to or play with."
Hearing his aunt's explanation, Kazien looked at Alvin. He wanted to hear his decision.
"It's no problem, right? After all, he is your cousin," said Alvin while smiling warmly.
"Are you sure? Didn't you want to live just the two of us in our house?" asked Kazien to make sure.
"My dear, no need to think about that." Alvin held Kazien's hand. "Don't let your cousin be lonely. Because being alone is very painful."
And in the end, Kazien agreed to stay at his aunt's house.
"You two have cloaks with the Altavis family crest, right?" asked Elisa.
Kazien and Alvin nodded.
"Wear them! Alvin is a rare race in the capital. If you don't wear those cloaks, surely many people will approach him!"
"That's not necessary, Aunt Elisa!" refused Kazien politely. "We will use the carriage to go to your house. Both of us will sit on the coachman's seat to see the road. Meanwhile, Alvin will sit nicely inside the carriage."
Elisa thought for a moment, then agreed. "Alright. But make sure Alvin isn't seen."
Then she asked all the guild employees to do their jobs well and maintain order.
Arriving in front of the guild, Kazien took out his carriage from the dimensional storage. A dark-colored wooden carriage appeared. Its appearance was very ordinary, with no gold carvings or flashy decorations. In front of it stood a single black horse that looked calm.
"Kazien, is this horse a golem?" asked Elisa suspiciously, because the horse was too quiet for a living creature in the middle of a crowd.
"Yes! This horse is a golem," answered Kazien briefly. "Come on up and please show the way."
Elisa was amazed by the horse-shaped golem before her. Its make was very smooth, almost indistinguishable from a real horse.
Once Alvin went inside, Elisa sat on the coachman's seat beside Kazien. The carriage then left the guild.
While the carriage moved slowly amidst the bustle of the capital, Elisa gave instructions. "Straight! Left! Right! Straight!" said Elisa to Kazien.
They passed through busy districts until finally arriving at a quieter and grander area.
"That building is the academy! Starting tomorrow you will attend school there." pointed Elisa at a gigantic building complex with towering towers.
"Wow! The building is huge!" praised Kazien. "Then, where is your house, Aunt Elisa?"
"That one!" answered Elisa while pointing to Kazien's left.
Kazien turned to the left and he saw an elegant two-story mansion across the street, exactly facing the academy gate.
"Aunt Elisa! Is your house the one across the street?"
"Yes, that is my house! That's why I asked you to stay with us so you don't need to walk too far to go to the academy."
The carriage turned into the mansion's courtyard and stopped smoothly. After getting down from the coachman's seat, Kazien leaned his face close and whispered to his aunt: "Does Auntie want to meet Father?"
That question made Elisa hesitate. She was confused about what to answer. Her body tensed up.
I don't know what to do, thought Elisa painfully. Will Brother Elgard welcome my arrival?
After seeing the gloomy expression shown by his aunt, Kazien understood that there was a problem between them.
"Aunt Elisa, are you two in conflict?"
Elisa sighed deeply. "I just feel ashamed to meet him. Because at that time, I ran away from home just to marry my husband."
"Aunt Elisa, Father isn't like that." comforted Kazien gently. "I am sure, he will definitely welcome and accept your return."
Elisa felt quite happy after hearing her nephew's words. But she didn't feel confident enough to face her brother now.
"Sorry Kazien, I have to gather my courage first before meeting him!"
Kazien nodded understandingly and accepted his aunt's decision.
"Come on, Auntie. Let's go into the carriage for a moment," invited Kazien.
"To the carriage? Why not go straight to the house?"
"I'm picking up Alvin first, and we need to get our change of clothes that are inside." explained Kazien.
Elisa followed Kazien who was opening the carriage door. However, as soon as her foot stepped inside, Elisa's eyes widened. She was amazed by the interior of the carriage.
From the outside, the carriage looked narrow and ordinary. But inside, it was a spacious luxury living room, high ceilings, complete with soft sofas, tables, classy furniture, and even a hallway leading to other rooms.
What am I seeing here? Elisa's mind screamed. What kind of carriage is this and who made it? This isn't a carriage anymore, but a walking mansion! The room is even more comfortable than most noble houses in the capital.
"Who made this carriage?" asked Elisa enthusiastically, feeling the carriage wall which felt sturdy.
"I made it!" answered Kazien proudly.
Elisa didn't expect that her own nephew was the one who had made that great carriage.
"Are you serious? You can use alchemy magic?" asked Elisa in disbelief. Space expansion magic is a very complicated high-level technique.
"Not only I can use alchemy magic. Alvin can also use it," answered Kazien while pointing at Alvin who was sitting casually on the sofa.
Alvin nodded confirming Kazien's words. "He was the one who taught me how to use alchemy magic."
Elisa shook her head. This is the first time I've heard that someone from the Altavis bloodline can use alchemy magic, she thought. From the past until now, the Altavis family has always been known for its ice magic. My nephew is truly great!
(Although actually, Elisa didn't know that the carriage was made using creation magic).
Elisa looked at them seriously. "Is that so? But don't ever carelessly show your alchemy magic in front of people, especially to the nobles! They will target it."
"I understand, Aunt Elisa," they answered in unison.
"Aunt Elisa, Alvin and I will take all our clothes first in the back room," chimed Kazien later.
Elisa understood and invited them to get their clothes. She sat on that soft sofa, still looking around in awe.
After their departure towards the room hallway, Elisa observed every part of the room in that carriage living room.
Her view was distracted by all the photos displayed on the carriage wall. Those photos looked very clear and alive, far more real than the paintings of the greatest painters.
Elisa's eyes fell on the photo of Alvin standing gallantly with a crown.
It turns out the High Elf named Alvin really comes from the lineage of the elf royal family, muttered Elisa confirming her guess.
Then her eyes shifted to the large photo next to it. It was a painting of all the Altavis family members. Her brother, Elgard, her brother's wife, and their children.
But the problem is, who made a masterpiece this great? thought Elisa confused. All these paintings look so real!
Elisa was so amazed and awestruck when seeing all the photos displayed on the wall. She even unhesitatingly touched the photo frame, an object she had never seen before. Her gaze then fell on a more intimate photo. A photo of Kazien and Alvin sitting together, looking at each other and laughing.
There is also a painting of when they were together, Elisa smiled. Are they on a date? They both look alive and as if trapped inside there.
Seeing the happiness radiating from her nephew's face in that photo warmed Elisa's heart.
Once satisfied looking at the photos displayed on the wall, Elisa sat back on the sofa and waited for their arrival.
A few moments later, Kazien and Alvin returned to the carriage living room carrying their clothes bags. It was seen that Elisa was sitting quietly on the sofa waiting for the two of them.
Their small steps approached her.
"Aunt Elisa, we are ready!" exclaimed Kazien.
Elisa stood up and said: "Let's go to the house!" while walking towards the carriage exit door.
Kazien and Alvin followed her from behind, exiting the "walking mansion" towards Elisa's real mansion across the academy.
But unbeknownst to them, rumors about the existence of an elf in the capital had spread out there.
"I heard a rumor saying that there is a handsome elf in the capital!" whispered a citizen in the market.
"Really? Where is that elf?"
"They testified that they saw him go to the adventurer guild with a handsome boy too."
"Are they both adventurers?"
"Seems so. Let's just see if it's true!"
The capital of the Garveon Kingdom was in an uproar with rumors spreading by word of mouth. Some believed, some didn't, and some even chose to ignore it, but the names of the two mysterious young men began to be a hot topic in every corner of the city.